The present invention relates to a photographic developing/printing apparatus and, more particularly, to a photographic developing/printing apparatus which can print on printing paper (to be referred to as paper hereinafter) by exposure in accordance with a digital print signal, and can also develop/print a digital image and an analog image from a conventional negative or positive film at once.
Various photographic developing/printing apparatuses have been put into practical use. These apparatuses are designed to exposure-print an original film image on paper, convey the paper to cause it to sequentially pass through process baths containing process solutions such as a developing solution, and discharge it outside after it is dried.
For example, according to the photographic developing/printing apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,114, a continuous roll of paper stored in a paper magazine and shielded from light is cut in a desired cut size by a cutter unit in advance, and the cut paper is conveyed to an analog exposure printing unit including a film scanner, with the photographic emulsion surface facing up. An image on the film set on the film scanner is enlarged to a desired size, and analog exposure printing is performed. The resultant paper is further conveyed downstream to sequentially pass through process baths containing process solutions for developing, bleaching, and washing. The paper is discharged outside after it is dried. This apparatus further includes a rotating function. With this function, when a landscape frame is to be changed into a portrait frame in performing analog exposure in a desired size in the above manner, exposure printing can be performed on the paper in the exposure printing unit after the paper is rotated through 90.degree.. In this manner, the apparatus makes the most of the function of cutting a continuous roll of paper in a desired size in advance.
In addition to the above function, an apparatus having a function of improving the ability of conveying paper to the respective process baths on the downstream side after the paper is cut from a continuous roll of paper, stored in a paper magazine, by a cutter unit in a desired size, and analog exposure printing is performed thereon has been proposed in Japanese Utility Model publication No. 6-30765 by the present applicant. According to this proposal, a selector means for selectively switching sheets of paper cut in a desired cut size in advance to right and left convey paths is placed midway along a convey path to consecutively convey sheets of paper in right and left rows, thereby increasing the processing speed in each process bath.
Photographic developing/printing apparatuses that enlarge an image on an original film to a desired size, perform analog exposure printing on paper, convey the resultant paper downstream, sequentially convey the paper through process baths containing process solutions for developing, bleaching, and washing, dry the paper, and discharge it outside have become widespread.
With the recent advances in semiconductor techniques, the recording densities of solid-state image sensing elements have greatly increased. So-called digital still cameras and digital video cameras incorporating these solid-state image sensing elements are becoming increasingly popular. These digital still cameras and the like are by no means inferior to conventional silver halide camera in some cases depending on the manner of use. In addition, users can process the image data obtained from such cameras by using personal computers as needed. Owing to these advantages, these cameras are increasingly becoming popular. The following are examples of how digital still cameras and the like are used. The digital data from the cameras are simply displayed on the displays connected to personal computers. The digital image data recorded on the flash memories incorporated in the digital cameras are printed out onto recording paper sheets by using dedicated printers of various schemes.
Many of these dedicated printers are developed on the assumption that they are used as color printers for personal computers. For examples, the following printers are known: a sublimation thermal printer that uses ink ribbons of the three primary colors, and selectively energizes the line thermal heads on the basis of a digital signal obtained from a digital image recorded on the recording means of a digital camera; an ink-jet printer that prints an image by discharging inks of the three primary colors from the ink heads; and an electrophotographic printer using color toners.
A dedicated printer used as a home printer has the following disadvantages:
(a) Since ink ribbons incorporated in cartridges are used, the running cost is high. In addition, since the dedicated printer is expensive, the initial cost is high. PA1 (b) Since inks of three colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are superimposed to obtain a color photograph, the print color of the ink printed last looks swelled when observed from the upper oblique side. In addition, owing to the limited number of pixels, the limited number of colors, and the like, the obtained photograph is less attractive than the photograph obtained by a general photo lab. For these reasons, digital photography has not become pervasive. PA1 a second paper magazine containing a continuous roll of second printing paper; PA1 digital exposure means for performing digital exposure on the second printing paper fed from the second paper magazine; PA1 switching means for selectively conveying an end portion of the uncut second printing paper to the analog exposure means and the digital exposure means to perform digital exposure on the second printing paper by switching between a first conveyance state in which the end portion of the second printing paper fed from the second paper magazine is conveyed to the analog exposure means and a second conveyance state in which the end portion of the paper is conveyed to the digital exposure means; and PA1 second cutting means for cutting the paper in a predetermined size after the digital exposure is performed, PA1 wherein after the second printing paper is cut by the second cutting means, the second printing paper is conveyed to the main body portion, and exposure developing processing is performed. PA1 a second paper magazine containing a continuous roll of second printing paper; PA1 switching means for selectively conveying an end portion of the uncut second printing paper to the analog exposure means and the digital exposure means to perform digital exposure on the second printing paper fed from the second paper magazine by switching between a first conveyance state in which the end portion of the second printing paper fed from the second paper magazine is conveyed to the analog exposure means and a second conveyance state in which the end portion of the paper is conveyed to the digital exposure means; PA1 digital exposure/convey means for causing the end portion to pass over a digital exposure unit of the digital exposure means by a convey amount corresponding to a predetermined size in the second conveyance state, and then performing digital exposure while moving the end portion backward; PA1 second cutting means for cutting the paper in a predetermined size after the digital exposure; and PA1 an option unit for performing exposure/developing processing by sequentially conveying the second printing paper into the process baths after the paper is cut by the second cutting means, PA1 wherein the option unit is juxtaposed with the main body portion. PA1 a second paper magazine containing a continuous roll of second printing paper; PA1 digital exposure means for performing digital exposure on the second printing paper fed from the second paper magazine; PA1 switching means for selectively conveying an end portion of the uncut second printing paper to the analog exposure means and the digital exposure means to perform digital exposure on the second printing paper by switching between a first conveyance state in which the end portion of the second printing paper fed from the second paper magazine is conveyed to the analog exposure means and a second conveyance state in which the end portion of the paper is conveyed to the digital exposure means; PA1 second cutting means for cutting the paper in a predetermined size after the digital exposure; and PA1 an option unit for performing exposure/developing processing by sequentially conveying the second printing paper into the process baths after the paper is cut by the second cutting means, PA1 wherein the option unit is juxtaposed with the main body portion.
Under the circumstances, if a digital exposure means for performing digital exposure on the basis of a digital signal obtained from digital image data recorded on an image recording means including a digital camera can be mounted in a photographic developing/printing apparatus, all the problems described above can be solved. More specifically, an analog exposure means and a digital exposure means for emitting R, G, and B light beams may be arranged in a line midway along a paper convey path to properly perform exposure.